In retail outlets, for example, in supermarkets, where fresh food is displayed to the consumer it is necessary to keep the food fresh. Often, food, for example, cold meats and other delicatessen foods, are displayed in a refrigerated cabinet. However, food that is kept in such a way has a tendency to dry out over time as it loses air to the atmosphere--particularly, where the environment is a refrigerated environment. In order to counteract these drying effects, moisture is added to the atmosphere in the cabinet. This is achieved by producing a fog of finely atomised water droplets which has the effect of neutralising the moisture loss from the food.
This fog of atomised water droplets is delivered into the refrigeration cabinets through plastic piping or ductwork. However, some water remains in the ductwork and becomes a potential breeding ground for bacteria, which can then be delivered by the fog to the food on display or into the cabinet itself. Naturally, this means that there is a potentially extremely dangerous source of bacterial infection. It is extremely important, therefore, that the ductwork should be regular cleaned in order to remove bacteria, and other potential sources of infection such as mould, fungus or yeast.
Cleaning the ductwork can be difficult, if not impossible, as it is not always possible to reach all parts of the system with conventional known cleaning techniques.